Handmade by the farmer, on the farmAs the mist rises from the lush green paddocks in the Kerry Valley, the Jersey girls make their way to the dairy for the morning milking. They take their time, slowly meandering along the cattle tracks towards the dairy yards. The pulsing sound of the milking machines calls for them to start their day and the unlatching of the gate signals for the leader cows to move into the bails for milking.
Dave ushers them in two by two so as not to hurry the pace of the old Alfa Laval separator, hard at work in the milk room under Kay’s guidance, separating the rich Jersey cream from the milk. Its velvet-like texture and rich golden colour is testament to their chemical free grass and legume-based diet. The scene is reminiscent of days gone by when early generations of the family sold cream to the local butter factory and raised pigs on skim milk. As the Jersey girls make their way to their day pasture, the golden cream is taken just metres into the farm creamery to be slowly pasteurised then left to sit happily culturing to develop rich flavours. The thick, creamy crème fraiche is then churned until golden beads of butter start to emerge with tangy buttermilk. The pure buttermilk, fresh from the butter churn, is strained and bottled. Tiny butter pearls add to the delight of the fresh buttermilk. The butter is then kneaded by hand to remove the excess buttermilk before the addition of Olsson’s Red Gum Smoked salt and the kneading process continues. Each block of butter is hand shaped before being wrapped. Our salted cultured butter is no country bumpkin, equally at home on a slice of freshly baked sourdough as it is on a cheeseboard with crackers. The flavours of our handcrafted butter tell the story of our 6thgeneration family dairy farm. With each bite you’ll come to know us: the way we farm, the care we give our Jersey girls and the passion we have for what we do. |
Photo by Luke Marsden for Scenic Rim Eat Local Week
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Open by appointment
The Tommerup's Dairy Farm Larder is open to our farmstay guests and visitors.
If you are in the area and would like to purchase some of our ethically raised heritage breed pork and veal or farm fresh artisan dairy products, please call ahead to organise a time to drop by the farm larder - 0400 076 556.
If you are in the area and would like to purchase some of our ethically raised heritage breed pork and veal or farm fresh artisan dairy products, please call ahead to organise a time to drop by the farm larder - 0400 076 556.
Photo by Luke Marsden for Scenic Rim Eat Local Week
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EAT LOCAL SCENIC RIM
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